SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S. — Wilbur-Ellis, an international marketer and distributor of agricultural products, animal feed and specialty chemicals and ingredients, announced on Sept. 9 the appointment of Laura Fiffick as Environment, Health, Safety and Security director. Fiffick was previously an executive consultant with Krause Bell Group, a Health, Safety and Environment global culture and leadership consulting and research firm that provides services to improve business performance through HSE.

“Laura has a unique combination of significant technical depth, delivering solutions and results in complex environments, as well as being a champion of safety culture development,” said Troy Hackett, vice-president of Enterprise Risk Management and Process Development at Wilbur-Ellis. “We are excited to leverage her technical strength to ensure proper ‘blocking and tackling’ of our EHSS objectives, but also in winning the hearts and minds of our organization, developing an integrated safety program that can sustain the test of time. Ultimately, Laura will help us continue our maturity in ensuring our employees’ safety, protecting our physical assets and continuing our role as good neighbors in the communities where will live and work.”

 Wilbur-Ellis said Fiffick brings 28 years of diverse HSE experience to Wilbur-Ellis, during which time she has demonstrated leadership in building EHSS teams and programs at various companies and organizations to improve culture and achieve business results. The company noted that she has excelled in many crucial HSE positions, including as a director at BNSF Railway, a senior director with the National Safety Council at the Campbell Institute and, most recently, as an executive consultant for Krause Bell Group.

In her new role, Fiffick will manage Wilbur-Ellis’ international EHSS team, while pushing Wilbur-Ellis’ safety culture and processes to continue to evolve, driving a zero-accident philosophy that is scalable and sustainable, ensuring regulatory compliance across local, state and federal agencies, analyzing risk exposures and developing and implementing controls that prevent unwanted incidents.

Fiffick also will continue to further develop and roll out Wilbur-Ellis’ comprehensive, integrated safety program, Guiding People to Safety, and its new employee safety training program, Leading with Safety, the company said.

 “It’s clear that Wilbur-Ellis is a world-class company that first and foremost values employee safety and respects environmental and health across the enterprise as well,” Fiffick said. “I'm excited to join the team and be a part of continuing its EHSS vision that has had such a positive impact on employees, customers, suppliers and our communities.”